Junta Says Over 1,000 Foreigners Held in Shwe Kokko Scam ‘Raids’

The Myanmar regime said Thursday it detained over a thousand foreigners during three days of raids on the notorious Shwe Kokko scam hub in Myawaddy Township, Karen State this week.

Shwe Kokko, which lies near the Myanmar-Thailand border, was raided by troops from the junta’s military and its Karen Border Guard Force (BGF) militia on Tuesday, a month after the junta’s purported raid on KK Park, another scam center in a different part of Myawaddy Township. Both Shwe Kokko and KK Park have been operating under the protection of the BGF, prompting criticism that the raids are just for show.

The BGF operates under the command of the Myanmar regime’s military.